Written questions by Robertson.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of expanding the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to maritime on shipping and ferry services serving British Overseas Territories; what assessment has been made of potential impacts on services to and from Crown Dependencies; and whether any mitigations or exemptions are being considered for these routes.

The UK Emissions Trading Scheme Authority has recently consulted on proposals to include a share of emissions from international maritime voyages, including voyages to and from Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories. The consultation invited evidence on the potential impacts on their communities and economies.The Government recognise that some of these communities rely heavily on shipping and will continue to engage with Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories regarding the financial impacts this policy may have on their communities and economies. Policy decisions will be considered once consultation responses have been fully analysed and considered by the UK ETS Authority.

Under the proposed pay-per-mile road charging scheme, whether mileage accrued by UK-registered vehicles while driving in the Republic of Ireland would be subject to UK charges; and whether mileage accrued by Republic of Ireland-registered vehicles while driving in Northern Ireland would be subject to any equivalent charge.

As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs (electric vehicles) contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty. As with VED, eVED will apply to UK-registered vehicles; non-UK registered vehicles will be required to register for eVED after a period of six months in the UK. The Government has ruled out charging tax based on when or where people drive to protect motorists’ privacy. This means non-UK mileage driven by UK registered cars will fall into scope of eVED, as with fuel duty, which does not vary by basis of where a car is driven.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent rateable value increases on small accommodation providers, including the impact on business viability and local tourism-dependent economies.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To support those who are seeing large increases, Government has already acted to limit increases in bills, announcing a support package worth £4.3 billion package at the Budget. The Government remains committed to ensuring the UK remains a world-class, competitive and sustainable destination. We aim to attract 50 million international visitors annually by 2030, and the forthcoming Growth Plan will set out how we intend to support jobs, investment, and regional prosperity. The VOA published the Draft non-domestic rating list on 26 November 2025, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/non-domestic-rating-change-in-rateable-value-of-rating-lists-england-and-wales-2026-revaluation-draft-list

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of including domestic maritime within the UK Emissions Trading Scheme on the competitiveness of UK ports and shipping operators; and what steps he is taking to mitigate risks of traffic diversion.

The Government’s Impact Assessment for including domestic maritime emissions within the United Kingdom Emissions Trading Scheme concluded that the policy is not expected to materially affect the competitiveness of United Kingdom ports or shipping operators. Compliance costs are proportionate, particularly on a per operator basis, and the scheme is designed to support cost effective decarbonisation across the sector. The Assessment also finds no credible risk of traffic diversion, as the scheme applies uniformly to domestic voyages and at berth emissions.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the methodology used by the Valuation Office Agency to calculate recent rateable value increases for self-catering accommodation.

Self-catered accommodation is valued in the same way as any other class of non-domestic property; through applying the statutory and common law principles that apply across non-domestic rating.

What factors the Valuation Office Agency takes into consideration in (a) coastal and (b) tourism-dependent areas when setting rateable values for self-catering accommodation.

Self-catered accommodation is valued in the same way as any other class of non-domestic property; through applying the statutory and common law principles that apply across non-domestic rating.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of applying an interest rate of RPI plus 3% to Plan 2 student loans for graduates earning over £50,270 on the disposable income of those graduates.

Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.Plan 2 loans interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to RPI +3% depending on earnings. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers, which stay at a constant rate of 9% above an earnings threshold to protect lower earners. If a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same. Any outstanding loan and interest is written off at the end of the loan term, and debit is never passed on to family members or descendants.

What estimate her Department has made of the average social value weighting applied by contracting authorities in procurements of new buses supported by Government funding schemes in each of the last five years.

My department devolves the procurement activities to the contracting authority for new buses and therefore does not hold information on the average social value weighting which may have been applied.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the scope within current procurement and trade obligations for contracting authorities to weight social value criteria to support UK jobs and supply chains in publicly funded bus procurements.

Through the work with the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel my department is currently seeking agreement to implement a minimum weighting for social value to be considered when undergoing bus procurement.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the planned April 2026 business rates increase on community pharmacies.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This has led to increases in rateable values for some properties, as current values are based on pandemic-era valuations. In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion, to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. At Budget, the Government announced wider reforms to business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, reducing tax rates paid for by a higher rate on the top one per cent of most expensive properties. The introduction of permanent, lower RHL tax rates is worth almost £1 billion to over 750,000 RHL properties. The tax rate on smaller high street businesses will be 25% lower than for businesses with the most valuable properties. The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit. This includes community pharmacies with rateable values below £500,000 that are open to members of the public. Further details on what is meant by “visiting members of the public” can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/business-rates-multipliers-qualifying-retail-hospitality-or-leisure.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 104846, what assessment has been made of the risk that AI initiatives described as operating on a test-and-learn basis do not deliver the scale of efficiency savings assumed in the Departmental Efficiency Plan.

The department has not undertaken a specific risk assessment on whether the AI initiatives operating on a test-and-learn basis will deliver the scale of efficiency savings forecast in the Departmental Efficiency Plan. The department has agreed to achieve net efficiency savings of £199m from corporate initiatives, and these will be enabled by a broad range of activities, including the use of digital tools and utilisation of technology beyond specific AI initiatives; we are continuing to assess the impact and potential benefits of implementing AI and will continue to develop our alignment on AI initiatives across DfT, it’s Arm's Length Bodies, and Agencies.

Whether HM Treasury has conducted or commissioned an impact assessment on how the April 2026 business rates increase may affect the financial sustainability of community pharmacies.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This has led to increases in rateable values for some properties, as current values are based on pandemic-era valuations. In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion, to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. At Budget, the Government announced wider reforms to business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, reducing tax rates paid for by a higher rate on the top one per cent of most expensive properties. The introduction of permanent, lower RHL tax rates is worth almost £1 billion to over 750,000 RHL properties. The tax rate on smaller high street businesses will be 25% lower than for businesses with the most valuable properties. The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit. This includes community pharmacies with rateable values below £500,000 that are open to members of the public. Further details on what is meant by “visiting members of the public” can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/business-rates-multipliers-qualifying-retail-hospitality-or-leisure.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 105752, whether the Department has produced a breakdown for corporate initiatives equivalent to that published for executive agency reform, showing (a) gross efficiencies, (b) implementation costs and (c) net savings.

The department has agreed to achieving net savings of £199m in 28/29 from corporate initiatives as part of the Departmental Efficiency Plan. We do not currently hold a breakdown of how the net savings breakdown by gross efficiencies and implementation costs.

Pursuant to the Answers of 22 January 2026 to Question 105752 and 20 January 2026 to Question 104846, what proportion of the £199 million efficiency saving projected from corporate initiatives in 2028–29 is expected to arise specifically from AI-enabled processes.

None of the £199m in efficiency savings from corporate initiatives have been specifically identified as arising from AI-enabled processes. As part of a test and learn approach, we are assessing the impact and potential benefits of implementing AI and digital tools on a case-by-case basis as we develop our alignment across the DfT family on AI initiatives.

What the average waiting time was for a practical car driving test at Swindon Test Centre in the most recent month for which data is available.

For January 2026, the average waiting time for a car practical driving test at Swindon driving test centre was 18.8 weeks.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 105753, what assessment the Department has made of which specific budget lines will reduce as a result of the £199 million corporate initiatives efficiencies described as cash releasing.

A breakdown of the forecasted £199m in corporate initiative efficiencies published in the Departmental Efficiency Plan described as cash releasing are included below by budget line as published in the departmental Supply Estimate.Budget Line28/29 Cashable EfficienciesCentral Administration£0.234mSupport for Rail Passenger Services£199mTotal corporate initiative cash releasing efficiencies:£199.234m Beyond the efficiencies set out in the Departmental Efficiency Plan, the department has also made a commitment to reduce our administration budget over this period in line with the government’s overall aim to reduce administration costs by 15% by the end of the decade.

Media and Sport, what criteria is being used to determine the locations of Young Futures Hubs.

The first eight early adopter Young Futures Hubs were located where they will have the most impact, using data on knife crime and anti-social behaviour.The Government’s aim is to set up an additional 42 Young Futures Hubs over the next four years. The locations for the remaining 42 hubs will be determined using learnings from the eight early adopter hubs, alongside appropriate metrics to ensure hubs help those young people with greatest need.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2026 to Question 105434 on Retail Trade: Business Rates, what proportion of ratepayers expected to see no bill increases in business rates are from the retail sector.

Data on the change in the rateable value of non-domestic properties as a result of the 2026 revaluation, including for the retail sector, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-non-domestic-rates-collected-by-councils-in-england-forecast-2025-to-2026 Bills will be issued in due course by local councils.

Media and Sport, when she plans to publish the eligibility criteria and application details for the Richer Young Lives Fund; and how she will help ensure that rural and island communities are able to access this funding.

The Richer Young Lives Fund will invest over £60 million over the next three years, enabling organisations to deliver high-quality youth work and activities.The Fund will be targeted at underserved areas and focus on making activities easier to access for disadvantaged young people. Young people will be involved in designing the fund and making decisions on how the funding is spent. More information on the eligibility criteria and application details, including location eligibility, will be shared in due course.The Fund will launch in the financial year 2026/27.

Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Government unveils ambitious plan to tackle youth isolation crisis and deliver real life opportunities, published on 10 December 2025, what proportion of the £500 million funding will be allocated to (a) sustaining and (b) expanding existing youth services.

The Government recognises that high-quality youth services are vital for the health, wellbeing, and development of young people. The £500 million investment announced on 10 December 2025 as part of the National Youth Strategy represents a significant commitment to transforming the youth sector.Some of the first funded steps to work towards the strategy include over £60 million for the Richer Young Lives Fund, nearly £70 million to improve local youth offers, over £22 million towards school-based enrichment opportunities and £15 million to support youth workers, volunteers and wider trusted adults. Meanwhile the £350 million Better Youth Spaces fund is specifically designed to expand the reach and quality of the youth estate.The precise proportion of funding allocated to the maintenance of current services and the creation of new capacity will be determined during the detailed programme design phase. The Department will share further information on these allocations in due course.